CVE-2021-32557: apport process_report() arbitrary file write

Severity: high (CVSS 7.1 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2021-06-12 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-59

Description

It was discovered that the process_report() function in data/whoopsie-upload-all allowed arbitrary file writes via symlinks.

Affected products

Canonical apport: from 2.14.1-0ubuntu3 before 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29\+esm7; from 2.20.1 before 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.30\+esm1; from 2.20.9 before 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.24; from 2.20.11-0ubuntu27 before 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.18; from 2.20.11-0ubuntu50 before 2.20.11-0ubuntu50.7; from 2.20.11-0ubuntu65 before 2.20.11-0ubuntu65.1 — fixed in 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29\+esm7, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.30\+esm1, 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.18, 2.20.11-0ubuntu50.7, 2.20.11-0ubuntu65.1, 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.24

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Canonical apport 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29\+esm7, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.30\+esm1, 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.18, 2.20.11-0ubuntu50.7. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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